


More to Captain Jack Than Meets the Eye

by hammerxsword (QDS)



Category: Torchwood, Transformers (Bayverse)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-07
Updated: 2010-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-05 22:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QDS/pseuds/hammerxsword
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack has a long history, and knows much about the universe...</p>
            </blockquote>





	More to Captain Jack Than Meets the Eye

**Author's Note:**

> Written for apathocles for the Multiverse 5000 challenge, 2008. Request: Captain Jack Harkness/Transformers.
> 
> Takes place sometime inbetween the first and second season of Torchwood, and after the third season of Doctor Who. I only know the recent Transformers movie, so it is based on that, and of course there are spoilers for the whole movie.

The dogs were frantic and barking madly, and the men were in shock or panicking. Soon, though, the hole before them showed no further sign of crumbling, and they began to  
gather themselves again.

The man, whose features even the most robust of men commented on, whose smile was always infectious, looked around at the scene. They had all followed Captain Witwicky here, believing and trusting him even when they themselves had given up hope. Even the man, who had see much in his time, had be impressed by the Captain's will and endurance.

No sacrifice, no victory, Captain Witwicky always told them. But no of them had been prepared to lose him.

Ericson, the second in command, began to instruct the others to make preparations to go down and rescue him.

Suddenly, a blast of light shot out of the hole, and the shock of it reverberated around it, causing more to crumble. Men and dogs fell about, more screams and yowls and more scrambling about. The man fell back with them everyone, but instead of blind panic, cold terror to match the ice around them struck him instantly.

Whatever that blast was, it didn't originate from earth. And these people weren't ready for that.

Ericson peered down inside, the blue shades even more threatening than before.

"Captain Witwicky!"

This time there was no reply.

Ericson, who thought incredibly well of the captain, was still afraid. He knew that he had to send someone down there, but those strange lights and the increased fear around him made him reluctant to ask anyone to volunteer.

The man stood up, went over to Ericson, and clasped a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go and get him. Send me down with a rope."

Ericson looked up. "It's dangerous."

"I'll be ok. Just get me some rope."

Another man, Baker, was also sceptical. "Are you sure?"

Captain Jack Harkness nodded, and looked down the chasm. "I've been in worse situations before."

*

Jack sat on the Millenium Dome, looking out over Cardiff. It was late and a slow night for Torchwood, but it was exactly what he needed. After a year on the Master's ship as everyone's favourite torture toy, the quiet was welcomed and needed.

Then he saw them. Four small but determined fiery balls, that could simply be meteors…but Jack had been around for too long to take things for granted.

Other people on earth would either be panicking about where they were going to land or delighted by the site of them and out taking photographs. Or doing both. 21st century humanity was a bundle of contradictions.

Jack simply sighed, and figured it was another day in the office.

And also, a problem for the US to deal with; if his calculations were right, that's where the objects were going to land.

Still, worth checking out.

Down below in the Torchwood facility, the team were already onto it.

"Jack, did you see the meteorites?"

"Gwen, in our line of work, they might be anything from meteorites to bombs to alien babies."

Gwen thought a moment, and then smiled at Jack. "Of course."

"But yes, I did see them. Do we have anything on them? Not that the US won't be all over it yet, but I'm curious."

"By our calculations, they landed in America…and remarkably, within 10 kilometres of each other," Owen said.

"10…that's too close be coincidence. Can we track them at all?"

Heads down and silence for a few minutes as they hunted for something.

Then Tosh said, "Jack, they're beginning to transmit some kind of signal. They…seem to be  
communicating with each other in a language that our computers can't decipher."

"Let's take a look."

Jack leaned over Tosh's shoulder. The images flashed before them thick and fast. Next to him, Tosh seemed puzzled and frustrated by them. But Jack knew exactly what they were.

"Tosh, get me Sector 7. Now!"

"But Sector 7 is research based, surely this is for Unit or FBI -- "

"Tosh, don't argue. Sector 7."

Tosh shrugged, and began transmitting to Sector 7.

*

A man with dark curly hair and a demeanour suggesting someone who would suspect his grandmother of cheating at bingo met him at Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. He introduced himself as Simmons and walked off, beckoning Jack to follow with a wave of his hand without noticing Jack's own outstretched hand for a greeting. Jack shrugged, picked up his bag, and followed the man to the carpark.

"Here is our vehicle, mind you don't think your still in England and get into the drivers side and we'll be on our way shortly."

Jack wondered if it were standard practice for government vehicles to be black pick-up trucks, but then again, neither Simmons or Jack were standard government employees.

Simmons prattled on for a few minutes, a sensation which Jack compared to running ones fingernails down a blackboard; distinctly irksome and uncomfortable. The information  
contained therein was, however, useful. All but one thing did Simmons fail to mention, so Jack asked instead.

"So Sector 7 must have done something pretty spectacular to get disbanded." Jack raised his eyebrows for emphasis. "I mean, my team a Torchwood have a talent for unleashing alien forces on Cardiff, but you guys…I guess taking out half of Mission City is a bit excessive."

Jack thought he heard a low chuckle that seemed to come from within in the car, but from his pursed lips and tense forehead, Simmons made in perfectly clear that it didn't  
come from him.

After a long moment, Simmons said, "The Secretary of Defence wanted to be sure nothing else from NBE 1 that was every tested and so could escape. The whole lab was destroyed. But – we still may have use for it now."

"Now that everyone's actually done some thinking about it rather than trying to sweep the problem under the carpet," Jack mused. That, at least, he was familiar with.

Simmons smiled approvingly. "Yes, that's it."

Jack feared that through that the moment of affinity he had found a friend in Simmons. He wasn't sure if he liked that.

They pulled into the driveway of a non-descript building. Simmons parked the car next to a yellow Hummer. Jack got out of the car and whistled.

Simmons noticed. "Hummer H2, yes, we are very…happy with that one in particular."

Simmons got out of the pick-up, and patted the door in a way that one might pat a favourite dog. Jack thought it odd, but didn't comment.

"Come this way."

Jack began following Simmons. They were half way up the drive way when he heard a voice.

"The longer I have to drive around that insufferable man I'm going to --"

"Ironhide…"

The voices came from behind Jack, and he turned around. But all he saw was the truck that they had come in and the Hummer he had so admired.

Jack thought for a moment, and when he turned back to keep following Simmons, a theory had begun to form.

*

John Keller and Tom Banachek had, to Jack's mind, an uncomfortable partnership. The Secretary of Defence and the former head of Sector 7 it seemed, at the heart of it, wanted  
the same thing. But one was a scientist and the other a politician and soldier. They had different methods of approaching the same thing.

Jack hoped that it would work for the best.

"I happy that you're willing to discuss these matters with Torchwood," Jack said. "We expected to hear from someone here fairly soon after the meteors. A week is an awfully long time."

Keller sighed. "It's true that we might not have contacted you at all, but from our understanding about what happened in Mission City, it would seem that not all of the Decepticons were destroyed there."

Jack leant forward, a horrible thought entering his mind.

"Megatron? Is he--"

"At the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss, torn apart," Keller said.

Jack heaved a sigh of relief.

"But from what Optimus Prime and the other Autobots tell us, there could be more. Particularly if the one called Starscream is rallying them."

Jack nodded. "So what you're saying is that now you realise that this could be a threat of an international level and you feel obliged to inform everyone who could have something at stake."

"That's correct," Banachek said.

"We are also aware of Torchwood's vast experience of extraterrestrial and alien contact, both in London and Cardiff, so you're expertise will be of great help."

"Of course," Jack said, all too aware of how these agreements could go, "Torchwood would expect that the knowledge be shared both ways."

Keller and Banachek glanced at each other. Banachek, Jack knew, he could trust to do so, but Keller always had national security and national secrets in mind.

"We will do our best to be accommodating," Keller said.

That was about all Jack could hope for at this stage. And he was fine with that.

"Now if you excuse me for one moment, I need to make the final arrangements for our next meeting."

"I told Keller that you contacted Sector 7 when the Autobots first arrived."

Jack looked at Banachek sharply.

"Was that wise?"

"I gave him the impression that you were the first one to inform us about the meteors. Not that you knew what the meteors contained."

Banachek paused, and gave Jack a serious look.

"Of course, my question is just how do you know so much about the Autobots and what knowledge are you keeping back from us."

Jack thought for a moment telling him that he was an immortal from the 51st century, so had been around a whole lot longer than Banachek was even going to live, and had seen a whole lot more than Banachek could even begin to comprehend. But he decided against that move, and opted for a more subtle approach.

"I've been around a while."

Before Bananchek could respond, Keller returned.

"It's all be organised." He turned to Jack and said, "I have arranged a meeting with yourself, the young man who played a big part in helping us understand the Autobots, and Optimus Prime."

"Optimus Prime?" Jack tried to hide his delight, but couldn't. His smile widened

"It is quite something to meet an Autobot for the first time," Keller said.

Simmons grinned smugly. "Technically he already has."

Jack looked at Simmons, and he then knew that his theory was correct.

"Ironhide?" he asked.

Simmons expression was like a deflated balloon.

*

Keller and Jack waited by the roadside near a small lookout in somewhere USA. This, Keller said, is where Optimus Prime preferred them to meet. Avoids crowds, easier to hide.

Then, a bright yellow Camaro, followed by a large red and blue truck, came over the hill. Jack looked at Keller, who nodded.

"That's them."

The Camaro came to a stop, and a older teenage boy and girl got out. No one got out of the truck, which made Jack smile.

"Mr. Keller." The boy nodded.

"Sam, I'd like you to meet Captain Jack Harkness."

The boy nodded, and put out his hand. "Sam Witwicky."

Jack froze. Yes, he had been told that Archibald Witwicky's great-great-grandson had played a significant part in the battle for Mission City, and in fact was a caretaker (or rather, was being looked after) by one of the Autobots named Bumblebee.

All facts, but nothing had prepared him for the reality.

*

Jack abseiled down the ice chasm with careful ease. He hoped that whatever alien life form that was down there was something small and ease to contain with the minimal supplies that the explorers had.

Though he honestly doubted it. The best he could hope for was a small craft that he'd have to disable it so that it would disappear under the ice without anyone having to know  
about it.

When he got to the bottom, there was one of there dogs, barking and Jack reached out to soothe it. And then he saw Captain Witwicky, collapsed inbetween jutting claws of  
ice.

Jack dropped the rope, forgetting for a moment the danger they were in and scrambled to check if the Captain was still alive. He said his name a couple of times, shaking him. He  
checked his pulse, and was enourmously relieved to find him alive.

Jack looked around then for the alien. At first, he saw just the ice, white and blue and some darker shade. Then he took a closer look at the darker shades, and then at the ice  
surrounding him and Captain Witwicky.

It was only on closer inspection that Jack saw the frozen face, the limbs outstretched in twisted agony, and he felt his stomache drop.

The stories of the Autobots and Decepticons had echoed down the ages and across the stars. Jack remembered playing with his friends Optimus Prime and Megatron and Ironhide and Starscream the way people in the 20th century played Cowboys and Indians. Or even actors playing the heros from the Iliad, or Shakespeare.

He knew that the Autobots were trust-worthy and kind and benevolent.

But this robot, the one controted in agony before him, the one whose very hand that he and Captain Witwicky were standing in – Jack knew was a very different matter.

*

Sam looked at his askance, and Jack realised he hadn't taken Sam's proffered hand. He grabbed it and shook it hard, introducing himself. The boy drew his hand away, and  
gave him a cautious smile.

"Got a strong handshake there, Captain."

"Call me Jack."

Sam nodded, but said nothing else. Jack was still shaking his head in amazement, while Sam, on the other hand, soon seemed to feel uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

Keller soon broke the awkwardness.

"Probably a good time to meet the Autobots now."

Suddenly, behind Sam, the Camaro and the truck began to transform. The doors folded upwards and the bodies of the vehicles extended and turned, and the wheels flipped away until two giant robots stood instead.

Jack felt filled with wonder and delight, and had to stop himself from putting his hands to his face in awe.

The Camaro was the shorter of the two, and had kindly features. He held up his hand in a wave down to Jack, and Jack waved back.

The truck had turned into something that was tall and majestic, and Jack only rarely thought of machines as majestics. Then again, it was rare for a machine to have as much  
soul as these Autobots had.

The blue and red machine crouched down and bent to bring his face as close to Jack as possible. Behind him, Jack sensed Keller stepping back a little.

"Captain Jack Harkness?"

The voice was deep, rich, and robotic. Jack looked up at the Autobot, and smiled.

And then, he said one word that he had always wanted to say and mean it:

"Greetings."

Optimus Prime looked genuinely surprised.

"You…know Cybertronian?"

"No, just that."

Optimus Prime looked at him with great interest now, and Jack thought he detected a smile. He turned to Keller and said,

"If you excuse us for a moment, Mr. Keller. I believe Captain Jack Harkness and I have much to discuss, in private if we may."

Jack turned to look at Keller, whose expression was a little bit surprised, but not stunned.

"If you feel that is necessary, Optimus."

"Oh I think so."

Optimus Prime then uncurled his palm, and held it to the ground just near Jack's feet. Jack looked from the hand to Optimus Prime s face, not believing what was being offered.

"Are you...really?"

"Of course, Captain Harkness."

As Jack stepped onto Optimus Prime's outstretched hand, he heard Sam whisper nervously to Mikela:

"I think he might be gay. Do you think he was checking me out?"

"Sam, you wish everyone was checking you out."

Jack grinned to himself, and them stumbled a little as Optimus Prime began to stand and raise Jack further away from the ground. Optimus Prime s fingers enclosed a bit further around him. Jack reached forward to stroke one of them. He turned back up to Optimus Prime.

"I never thought I'd live to see an Autobot," he said.

"And I never expected to meet a human who knew Cybertronian without having met us first. Would you mind telling me more about yourself, Captain Harkness?"

They began moving away from the scene, towards the top of the hill. Jack eventually found his feet, and when they came to a stop, began to tell Optimus Prime the shorter version  
of something he rarely told others.

*

The building looked like a cross between a hosiptal and a prison. It was the last place Jack would wish anyone, particularly someone like Captain Witwicky.

Jack knew that by the 51st century the understanding of insanity and its causes were far  
advanced that most cases were prevent. And those that weren't at least were given very careful and considered care.

Of course, this was far from the case now. He only hoped that Captain Witwicky was at least comfortable.

Inside, he was taken to a man on sitting at a table, hunched over, sketching madly on a scrappy sheet of paper. Carefully, Jack sat at the empty chair next to him. For a few moments, he watched the Captain. Once, he had been a great and inspiring man. Others would have died for him.

Now Captain Witwicky only saw the Iceman and the symbols.

"Captain Witwicky?"

The man didn't seem to have heard him, and kept muttering to himself, hand sketching the markings on the paper.

"Do you remember me? I'm Jack Harkness. I was on your voyage to the Artic. No sacrifice, no  
victory? Do you remember?"

Captain Witwicky looked up from his paper. He looked somewhere to the right of Jack's face, and Jack knew then that the blindness hadn't gone away.

"Jack? Oh Jack." Captain Witwicky dropped his pen and his hands fumbled towards Jack. Jack took them in his own, firm, reassuring.

"You were there Jack. You can tell them. I see nothing else but the symbols. The symbols…the Iceman took my sight and gave me the symbols."

Jack swallowed. He had been preparing for this, preparing to tell the Captain what he knew would be hard for him to hear.

"Captain...I can only tell people about the Iceman if you agree that we have to keep it quiet. It might take years before there is someone I can tell, but it you trust me -"

"Jack, but this discovery..."

Captain Witwicky would not be moved from his desire to let the world know the truth. And Jack, as much as he would have liked to give in to the Captain's plee that he help him, would not budge from his position. He held back hot tears as the Captain wailed and pleaded, and eventually grew so angry that he flung Jack's hand away and demanded that he never came back.

Jack slowly got up from the chair, while Captain Witwicky sobbed over the table. But just as Jack was at the door, the Captain was by his side, and pressing a piece of paper  
in his hand.

"Tell them, Jack. Make them understand."

Jack looked down at the sheet, and saw that it was a mess of the symbols of Cybertronian.

Outside, of the building, Jack folded the sheet carefully and put it in his pocket. He knew that Megatron would not be safe in the ice forever. It was but a temporary hold. Jack didn't want to think about what would happen if he thawed before humans could combat the Decepticons.

He looked back at the ward, and felt a horrible pang in his chest.

*

Jack paused in telling his story. He heard just behind them Bumblebee's footsteps. He wondered if Sam was riding as he was on Optimus Prime, and the pang that he felt so long  
ago came back. Even though Captain Archibald Witwicky had been vindicated, he wished the man himself could have seen it.

"So, you were the one who told Sector about Captain Witwicky's discovery."

Jack nodded. "After Captain Witwicky died, I kept the newspaper article about his death, the scratchings that he gave me the last time I saw him, and I kept an eye on what  
was happening with human dealing with alien life on earth. When I heard rumours of a giant cube with strange symbols carved on it, I knew it was the All Spark, and went and found the First Seven. The rest you and I both know."

"There are some – Mr. Keller for one – who thinks it was unwise to ever bring Megatron out of the ice. It might have been disastrous if he had escaped before human technology could combat the Decepticons. But then, had the humans not had him in a spot that they knew for sure, it could have been much worse for all of us."

"From what I hear it was a pretty close call."

"It was. Very close. And, as you have heard, there are some concerns that Starscream may have escaped and has gone to seek out the remaining Decepticons."

"Which is why I'm here."

Optimus Prime looked down at Jack and smiled.

"I am very glad of that, Captain Jack Harkness."

Jack gently ran a hand over Optimus Prime's knuckle. "I am glad to have seen this day."

*

Sam and Mikela, now perched on Bumblebee shoulder, were looking over at Optimus, or, more to the point, Captain Jack standing on top of Optimus's fist. Whilst they were slouched and relaxed, Sam's arm around Mikela's shoulder, Jack seemed poised for a photo shoot.

"He's got that dramatically brooding staring off into the distance thing down," Sam said.

"And billowing coat as well," Mikela added.

"Bet he's had practice at it."

Mikela laughed. "Totally."

"Hey Sam!"

It was Captain Jack. Sam called back to him, "Yeah?"

"Archibald Witwicky was a great man!"

Sam and Mikela glanced at each other. "They told you about him?"

"He's…known in…my profession, shall we say."

Sam grinned. "Thank you sir!"

Jack then looked over at him and smiled.

"No sacrifice no victory, right?"

Sam laughed, but then stopped quickly. He stared across at Captain Jack, who had turned away from him, and once again seemed lost in thought.

Sam decided that, like so many people he had encountered recently, there was more to Captain Jack than meets the eye.


End file.
